The best Christmas films of all time Staff, 12/22/2024 Explore the best Christmas films of all time, from John Huston's poignant "The Dead" to the festive hilarity of "Home Alone" and "National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation." Discover why these films resonate beyond the holiday season, blending humor, nostalgia, and profound themes of love and connection. C are an industry in and of themselves. The Hallmark Channel is releasing 32 new ones this year; there are dozens of titles available to stream on Netflix. It is unlikely that most of these will be watched again and again, year after year; the best festive films, however, are gifts that keep on giving. What distinguishes them is that they are not just seasonally appropriate but are great films by any measure: touching treatises on loneliness and human connection that just happen to have a few snowmen and carolers thrown in.
"The Dead" (1987)
John Huston's last film is a lovingly faithful adaptation of James Joyce's short story. It is set at a bustling Epiphany party in Dublin in 1904 (near enough to Christmas to count). And like so many parties, this one ends on a melancholy note. The film -- and Huston's career -- closes with a devastating monologue about love and loss, delivered with grim resignation by Donal McCann, and accompanied by a haunting montage of Ireland in the snow.
"The Holdovers" (2023)
Alexander Payne's spiky but cosy comedy-drama was released in 2023, but it was so humane and hilarious that it immediately took its place in the pantheon of Christmas cinema. Paul Giamatti plays a crotchety boarding-school teacher who has to take care of a teenage pupil (Dominic Sessa) over the Christmas break in 1970. Da'Vine Joy Randolph co-stars as the school cook, whose son was killed in Vietnam; she won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress.
"Home Alone" (1990)
When the McCallister family jets off to Paris for Christmas, they accidentally leave behind eight-year-old Kevin (Macaulay Culkin, pictured), a parenting fail that seems even worse when the house is targeted by two burglars (Joe Pesci and Daniel Stern). The ensuing Tom-and-Jerry-style violence has been imitated and parodied ever since, but the magic of Chris Columbus's comedy comes earlier in the film, when Kevin is enchanted by the freedom he has to explore the snowy city.
"It's a Wonderful Life" (1946)
A trainee guardian angel (Henry Travers) shows a suicidal George Bailey (James Stewart) visions of how much worse his hometown would have been if he had not lived in it. Frank Capra's evergreen film is a heartfelt tribute to those who work for the community rather than for their own fame and fortune. It concludes with a flood of joy as George learns how much he is appreciated -- even if the two hours before that happy ending are gloomy.
"National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation" (1989)
This is a gentle suburban film of the sort that American directors in the 1980s did brilliantly and often. Children as well as adults will enjoy it, because it has a recognisable, timeless theme: parents driving themselves insane trying to give their family a perfect Christmas. Chevy Chase's just-below-boiling performance has an antic, almost pantomime quality to it; Randy Quaid excels as a boorish, freeloading relative, as does Julia Louis-Dreyfus as the loathsome, shallow neighbour.
"Scrooged" (1988)
This reworking of "A Christmas Carol" features three ghosts teaching a hard-hearted soul the true meaning of Christmas. But the soul in question is a TV executive played by Bill Murray; the ghosts include David Johansen of the New York Dolls, a rock band, and an unusually violent Carol Kane. In other words, the film is deeply of its time, but Mr Murray is hilarious from start to finish. Look out for a brief cameo by Miles Davis as a busker. ■
